BIM Management Preamble

August 13th, 2014

Let’s start with the analogy of sport, precisely ice hockey (since the LA Kings just won their second Stanley Cup in 3 years!)

There are all levels—from amateur leagues all the way to the NHL, obviously. Now we may be able to assume that NHL players, especially the great ones (and the worst ones are still pretty great) get "bad" breaks, such as a referee’s missed call supposedly deciding a game’s final outcome, bad luck, and so on…right? Wrong.

I contend that the way these athletes deal with those situations is not to blame or make excuses, rather they look within at what they could have done earlier or better (such as scoring more). They will then work on that, adding to their workout regimen, etc.—isn’t that how they continually excel? Excuses are simply egos trying to cover the facts and there is little or no room for that if we want to excel.

If we focus on blaming others, we do not gain anything positive now or toward future projects.

Does AECO want to become top of their game?

Do YOU want to become top of your game?

Or would you, me, we rather be the fat, slow Sunday night corner league player who may have fun, but knows he is no NHL star? Great architecture, great BIM needs great players, coaches, teams!

Do you want to be a lazy architect, engineer, contractor, owner and/or user? One who knows deep down that he is shrinking away from his own greatness? I think not!

Successful BIMs take the same type of dedication exhibited in professional athletes. Period.

The further away from having the best of the best on your team, the closer AECOs are to being their profession's amateurs. And slow, too.

Pretty bold statement?

That's okay. Tell me how that is not correct. We are in a team profession and it's about time we play and work as a team: Together, each DOING his or her part! Not in words, but actions—like the greats in every walk of life. We can all be great, if we simply and truly do so.

One main distinction between the sports analogy and AECO is that BIM does not require physical athleticism; rather, we all have the tools at hand, but we don't always use them.

What are the tools?

Technology.

Us.

When we put ego and unrealistic expectations aside, we are open to finding a solution, creating a solution. Let’s create solutions with our extended teams to work toward larger successes.

BIM Management Outline

The following parts of a Basic Outline for BIM Process Management is a starting point of considerations for managing an Autodesk® Revit® project. Develop your own thorough processes and fully understand any BIM Guidelines, as those can make or break a project.

1. Proposal Stage

Until project managers and principals are better versed in BIM and the various ranges of services that fit within the BIM process, the BIM director needs to be involved in the proposal stage. The following are some questions that need to be asked.

What is the client’s expectation of the BIM process? Are there significant differences in scope for various levels of BIM processes that can be provided? Make sure everyone involved knows what level is being provided and budgets accordingly.

How will BIM be used for this project? Have all interested parties agreed on the level or state of the A&E model when it is turned over to the contractor?

Will Conceptual Design, Schematic Design, and Design Development be done in Revit?

Roles and responsibilities of each party at each phase of the project need to be well defined and understood by all. Who will be involved in the development of the BIM and what are their roles?

Owner (FF & E)

Architect

Civil Engineer

Landscape Architect

Structural Engineer

Mechanical Engineer

Electrical Engineer

Plumbing Engineer

Fire Protection Consultant

Security Consultant

Interior Designer

Consulting Engineers & Designers (define)

Equipment/Fixture Manufacturers

Sustainability Consultant

Contractor [BIM capable]

Other (define)

Discuss the importance of having a BIM capable contractor on board towards the beginning of the project.

Establish basic meeting and workflow requirements.

Limitations of BIM and Revit to budget should also be discussed with the client.

Discuss team consistency with the client. It is important for project team members to remain with the project (switching out contractors or others midstream is a bad idea).

There is a definite increase in liability and work for the architect. This should be reflected in the fee and explained to the client.

It is feasible to get the work done faster in Revit initially, but this may not reduce the ultimate work effort required to complete the project. For example, more graphic/model information tends to lead to more questions and more RFIs from the contractor rather than reducing them, unless a strident approach is held and shared by all.

2. Schematic & Design Development Phases

Kick-off with all parties that have a say in the design process. The more complex the project, the more input should be provided from project team members.

Define who exactly will be involved with SD & DD modeling.

Define who and what will be required from non-modeling entities.

Discuss sequence of modeling with everyone involved in the design process.

How is the model developed by the SMEP consultants?

What is the state of the model when it gets handed off to consultants for their modeling process?

Gather as much information as possible for anything that will have an impact on the design. Document when key items are missing.

Establish milestone dates for QA reviews of the work.

Define the state of the model file at the completion of Schematic Design for all team members.

Define the state of the model file at the completion of Design Development for all team members.

Establish model access and information sharing protocols.

How often do coordination meetings happen?

Provide an coordination agenda for each meeting

How are changes managed and executed?

Layout change workflow

Schedule

Write schedules that consider all coordination and QA reviews, including time to resolve coordination/conflicts and comments.

Quality Assurance Reviews

The model should be the priority in terms of what is reviewed. Printed drawings, PDFs are secondary. Both require thorough reviews.

Designate who is responsible for model and print reviews for each discipline.

Designate protocol for correcting software errors that will accumulate during modeling and annotation process.

Construction Documents

Kick-off with all parties that have a say in the design process. The more complex the project, the more input should be provided from project team members.

Discuss sequence of modeling with everyone involved in the design process.

Gather as much information as possible for anything that will have an impact on the design.

Establish milestone dates for QA reviews of the work and who is responsible.

Define the state of the model file at the completion of Construction Documents for all team members.

Schedule

Write schedules that consider all coordination and QA reviews, including time to resolve coordination/conflicts and comments.

Quality Assurance Reviews

The model should be the priority in terms of what is reviewed. Printed drawings, PDFs are secondary. Both require thorough reviews.

Designate who is responsible for model and print reviews for each discipline.

Designate protocol for correcting software errors that will accumulate during modeling and annotation process.

About the Authors

These are Jay B. Zallan’s professional passions: An intense and experienced Virtual Design and Construction, BIM Leader, Designer, Artist, and AEC technologist. Currently heading up VDC at Harley Ellis Devereaux, Jay brings unique and qualified insights into the business and creative processes of architecture, focusing on communication and collaboration. He brings proven strategies of leveraging technologies and building teamwork toward efficient project delivery. Jay has more than 20 years of architectural experience and enjoys a varied and diverse portfolio of Architecture and Art. Jay is an Autodesk Expert Elite member, President @ Los Angeles Revit Users Group, AUGIWorld magazine Revit Editor, and Graphic Standards’ BIM Advisory Board. He is a speaker at Autodesk University, Revit Technology Conference(s) and lecturer on Creativity & Architecture at the University of Southern California, Cal Poly, LACMA, as well as various AIA & CSI events. Get more information about Jay at http://jbzallan.wix.com/portfolio or contact him at JayZallan@gmail.com.